1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixture mount fixing tool mounted on a fixture mount used in a dental implant treatment. This fixture mount fixing tool holds the fixture mount in an unrotatable state so as to make a self-tapping type implant fixture (it will be called a fixture below), which is engaged with the fixture mount, in an unrotatable state in a storage container, and prevents that the fixture is rotated to be damaged in the storage container when the fixture mount and the fixture are fastened with a bolt.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
A fixture used in a dental implant treatment is stored, while a sterilized state being kept, in a special storage container until being actually used.
The fixture stored in the special storage container is taken out from the storage container through an embedding instrument mounted to a hole at the oral cavity inner side of the fixture. Rotary drive force is transmitted to the embedding instrument for embedding the fixture in a jawbone at a lost tooth part. As for the embedding instrument, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-75427 describes an embedding instrument having a plurality of engagement projections at a top end part thereof. The plurality of the engagement projections are engaged with a plurality of recessed grooves formed on an inner face of a hole at the oral cavity side of the fixture, in which the hole is provided along a center axis of the fixture and has a female screw having a top end closed toward the inverse-oral cavity inner side. By engaging the plurality of the engagements projections formed at the top end part with the plurality of the recessed grooves formed on the inner face at the oral cavity side of the fixture, the rotary drive force can be transmitted to the fixture and also the fixture can be held.
The embedding instrument is engaged with the hole at the inner oral cavity side of the fixture by pushing and contacting the top end of the embedding instrument to the oral cavity inner side of the hole provided in the fixture, rotating the embedding instrument until positions of the recessed grooves of the fixture and the engagements projections of the embedding instrument are agreed, and thereafter inserting the engagement projections of the embedding instrument into the recessed grooves of the fixture. At this time, if the fixture contacted and pushed by the top end of the embedding instrument is rotated together with the embedding instrument, the embedding instrument cannot be engaged with the fixture. Thus, the fixture is made to be unrotatable in the storage container by forming projection parts on the bottom side in the storage container and contacting the projection parts with groove parts formed along cutting edge parts formed on a self-tapping screw at the top end side of the fixture.
By using the aforementioned storage container and the embedding instrument, the fixture can be simply handled through the embedding instrument without directly touching the fixture by hand. However, since the embedding instrument is only engaged with the fixture, there is a problem that the embedding instrument is easily separated. Therefore, a fixture mount has been used as a tool which certainly fixes the fixture. The fixture mount can not only engage a top end thereof with an end part at the oral cavity inner side of a fixture but also be fixed to the fixture with a bolt screwed through a through hole connecting with a female screw part formed at a bottom part of an engagement part of the fixture.
This fixture mount is engaged with the fixture by pushing and contacting the top end of the fixture mount to the oral cavity inner side of the hole provided in the fixture, rotating the fixture mount until the top end of the fixture mount becomes insertable into the hole provided in the fixture, and inserting the top end of the fixture mount into the hole. Thus, it is necessary to form projection parts on the bottom side in the storage container so as not to rotate the fixture, like the embedding instrument.
By using the storage container having the projection parts formed on the bottom side thereof and the fixture mount having the through hole, the fixture mount and the fixture are completely integrated with the bolt, and thus an implant treatment can be carried out in a state that the fixture is not fallen from the fixture mount.
However, when the fixture mount is fixed to the fixture with the bolt, the bolt is fastened by a driver or the like. Thus, when a torque larger than that required is added to the fixture, the fixture mount and the fixture are rotated integrally, and thus there is a problem that the top end part of the fixture is strongly contacted with the projection parts on the bottom side in the storage container so as to be damaged.
This problem does not occur if the bolt is fastened in a state that the fixture mount is held by hand. However, it is difficult to hold the fixture mount by hand because the size thereof is too small. Thus, since the bolt is fastened while the storage container is held, the fixture and the fixture mount are rotated integrally, and there is a problem that the top end part of the fixture is strongly contacted with the projection parts on the bottom side in the storage container so as to be damaged.